No accident that jobs, economy grow more under GOP governors

Hi, I'm Michigan Governor Rick Snyder. I'm speaking with you today from Grand Rapids, where this week we held our 2014 Governor’s Economic Summit. The event showcased the great innovation and workforce talent found across Michigan.

I’m proud to be standing here today, because Grand Rapids was just named number two in the United States for its spring jobs outlook. It's among the brightest spots in the country. (Scroll down for video of these full remarks.)

It's not government, though, that creates jobs. Small business owners, entrepreneurs and innovators are the engine of job creation. It's up to government to help create the environment where jobs can grow.

My fellow Republican governors and I are doing just that. State unemployment figures released this week showed that Republican governors’ pro-jobs, pro-growth, low-tax policies work. In fact, the largest employment gains occurred in states run by Republican governors.

Michigan tied for the largest jobless rate decline in the entire country. That’s according to the most recently released monthly state employment numbers.

Republican governors are balancing budgets by reforming education, pension, tax and regulatory systems. Most importantly, we’re putting policies in place to make our states engines of economic growth.

There is no better example than here in Michigan. We rank first in the United States for recovering the most from the Great Recession and our unemployment rate just hit its lowest point in nearly six years.

We've balanced our budget three years now without accounting gimmicks, eliminated our $1.5 billion structural deficit, passed tax reform and enacted a law to give Michiganders the freedom to work -- to choose whether or not to join a union.

The results are clear. Since December 2010, Michigan businesses have created more than a quarter million new jobs. We're number 7 in the nation for personal income growth. And we're once again leading the nation in manufacturing job growth.

That should be a lesson for the nation.

It’s as easy as asking: What’s the problem? What are the facts? What’s the common-sense solution?

Let’s put it in place and be relentless in solving one problem after the other, and don’t waste time on blame. Let’s just get the job done.

It's not about more and bigger government. It's about creating an environment for more and better jobs.

That means getting spending under control, balancing budgets, freeing entrepreneurs from unnecessary regulation and letting the free market take off and do what it does best.

We’re seeing that in several states led by Republican governors, like Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey and of course in Michigan.

The Comeback’s happening. It’s happening right here in Grand Rapids and all across our state. It can happen nationally as well — by following the leadership example set by great Republican governors. ####

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